One of a Kind
by darksider45
Summary: Shiala and Commander Shepard meet again in the Collector Era, and they have feelings for each other, as they did on Feros two years ago when they met for the first time. Now, they have a chance. Rated T for Language.


**One Of A Kind**

**Chapter 1 - A Dream**

**Hey guys! I've been got a request about writing a Shiala pairing with the Great Commander Shep, and I thought others may want one too. So, here it is!**

* * *

_An Asari walked up to him, staring eye to eye as She slowly stepped towards him._

_She stopped in her tracks before his very face._

_She began look down, saying, "Relax, Commander, let go of your surroundings," then, "Embrace Eternity!" As she looked back up suddenly with empty, black eyes._

* * *

Commander Joshua Shepard woke up, his eyes blinked rapidly for a moment, then sitting up.

"And there goes that dream again," he sighed, "I can't seem to have her out of my mind..."

He throws his legs off the bed, his arm landing on his knee as he rubbed the side of his face.

"Commander, I detected a heart rate increase by the end of your slumber, how are you feeling?" EDI asked him.

"I'm alright, EDI," he answered, "just a fast dream, that's all."

"Very well, logging you out."

Joshua sat there, elbows on his knees with his hands out together, looking at the floor.

He tried his best to recall the memory.

* * *

_Flashback_

_The place shook, as the Thorian lost its grip on the walls of the Prothean tower._

_By the time it got to its last arm, it roared, just before it dropped into the depths below._

_Josh looked to the right of him after the event happened, and saw a pod on the wall dissolve as an Asari dropped to her knees. She was wearing the Asari Commando Armor. It made sense from the power of the clones._

_He walked up to her, she stood up, still dazed by her release, blinking._

_"I'm...I'm free!" She said with relief, "I...I suppose you're the one I should thank."_

_"Are you ok? Do you need Medi-gel?" Josh asked._

_"I will be, in time," she said with a slight bow of the head, "What is your name?"_

_"I'm Joshua Shepard, Commander of the Alliance," he answered._

_"Hello Commander, I'm Shiala," she greeted._

_"Hello, Shiala, may I ask why were you in that...container?" Joshua asked._

_"I was brought here. I was one of Benezia's followers. When she gave herself to Saren, we did as well."_

_"So, you were a slave?"_

_"Yes, He wanted the Cipher, like you're searching for now. He gave me to the Thorian to meld with it, and extract the Prothean Cipher. When it was done, I gave it to him, and he took off. Leaving me here."_

_"And he betrayed the Thorian?"_

_She nodded, "He sent his troops to get rid of all traces of the Thorian, which is why the colonists may have been acting strangely, I sure."_

_Joshua nodded back, "I came here for the Cipher, is there a way I can gain that knowledge?"_

_"I can give the Cipher to you as I have to Saren," she said to him, "I know you probably don't trust me..."_

_"I do," Josh said to her, cutting her off._

_Her eyes went wide, "Oh...ok."_

_Her expression changed, and she began to walk slowly towards, never breaking eye contact._

_She stopped when she was right in front of him, inches away from each other's face._

_"Relax, Commander, release your grip on the outside world," the said to him before bowing her head, then coming back up with black eyes, "Embrace Eternity!"_

_The world melted away as a vision played through his head, fast enough to where he couldn't place fingers on it._

_Eventually, the meld ended with Shiala backing a step, looking to the ground on her right, then back at him with mixed expressions of Concern, Caring, Curiosity, and Confusion_

_Joshua stared off, trying to replay what he just saw._

_"There you go, I have given you the Cipher. It will take time for your mind to process the information."_

_Joshua turned his gaze to Shiala, and found himself remarking about her eyes out loud..._

_"You have some beautiful eyes."_

_She looked at him with surprise, it took a moment for Josh to figure what was said._

_"Oh! That wasn't suppose to come out..." He said with his hands up to his chest height._

_"It's okay..." She said as she smiled sweetly._

_"I mean...You are pretty, and deadly, I know," Joshua said to her._

_Her smile grew bigger, "I wish there was more time, so I could get to know you..."_

_"Yeah...work to do," Josh said to her._

_"I would like to stay here, help the colonists rebuild from the damage I've contributed to..." Shiala told him._

_He nodded, "That's a good idea, but you didn't have a choice in the contribution, so don't blame yourself. You can make amends. Hopefully, I may be able to come back and visit to see how well Zhu's Hope is, if I ever get the chance."_

And that chance, he never got.

He sighed again, he was hoping to visit her back then, but he didn't have the time, Sovereign, the Geth, his death...

Josh sat up from his bed, went over to the clothing terminal, and played through the holographic interface.

* * *

The elevator opened up and Josh stepped out onto the CIC Deck of the Normandy. Still thinking about Shiala, not knowing what to do, but knowing who to go to.

He walked over to his administrative assistant, and she spun around happily upon hearing him.

"Good morning, Josh!" She greeted him.

He smiled at her, "Morning, Kelly."

She returned her own, "What can I help you with?"

"Something in your range of skills," Josh replied with a motion of his head for her to follow.

"Yes sir."

The Commander led her through the Science Lab, and Mordin was in there, hard at work.

And, the Salarian greeted him in his usual rapid tone;

"Morning, Shepard. Ms. Chambers."

"Morning, Mordin," Joshua replied.

"Good Morning, Mordin," Kelly said as well, "Wasting no time to get to work, I see."

"Yes," he answered, typing fast on his computer, "Cannot afford to waste time, data to be gathered!"

"We'll leave you with your business, Mordin," Josh said with a grin as he watched him go.

"See you later, Shepard," Mordin bid farewell.

Josh and Kelly left the scientist to his work, and met in the Meeting room.

"So, what's she reason you brought me back here?" Kelly asked innocently.

"Well, long story short, I've been having the same dream, and I believe it's about a girl," Josh began.

That got Kelly's hopes up, thinking it's her.

"Ok, How often have you had these dreams?" Kelly asked, perked.

"I've had them for a few nights, and I was ignoring them, thinking it was nothing, but now, I think there's something about it. I'm getting curious. and, concerned."

She nodded, "You may be missing her. When's the last time you saw her?"

"Two years ago, we only spoke shortly before I had to leave."

Then, Kelly's hopes went crashing down, knowing now, it wasn't her.

"Oh...ok..." She nodded, she was sad, but didn't show it, "do you have any way to contact her?"

Josh shook his head.

"I...I don't know what else to do, Sir, unless you can somehow meet her?" Kelly said to him.

He shrugged, "I don't know, maybe soon, maybe later. You tried your best, Kelly, thank you," he said with a hand on her shoulder and a smile.

She nodded once again, "Thank you, Joshua."

"Let's get at it," he said reassuringly before turning and going. Kelly followed with an expansion of her lips.

* * *

**And that's the start!**

**I don't know when Shiala and Josh will reunite. Yet.**

**But, anyway, thanks for reading, and please leave a review!**

**~ Dark**

**Story List:**

**- A Doctor's Man  
- Hearts Over Minds  
- The Asari Spectre  
~ One of a Kind  
NEXT - To Love a Quarian**


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